TELL EL-FARAMA, EGYPT—Archaeologists have unearthed a religious complex with a central pool dedicated to water rituals at the ancient city of Pelusium in northeastern Egypt, Ahram Online reports. In antiquity, the circular basin, which measures 115 feet in diameter and is enclosed by red brick walls, was connected to a branch of the Nile, which would have filled it with salty water—a symbol of the city's patron deity, Pelusius. A square platform in the middle of the basin was likely a base for a statue of the god. The basin is surrounded by water drainage channels. The complex remained in use, with only modest renovations, from the second century b.c. to the sixth century a.d. To read about a recent survey of the temple complex of Karnak, go to "Egypt's Temple of Creation."
